Readers’ letters - December 22

A reader says there is still too much poverty in this country which needs to be tackled first before helping refugees. See letter

Published:09:04Thursday 24 December 2015

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Look after our poor

We have a massive homeless problem in the UK with 50 per cent of families being placed in temporary bed and breakfast accommodation. The government says “they have it all under control.”

It has now pledged £5m in ‘extra’ funds to help to tackle this problem.

However, the government doesn’t seem to have any issues with bringing up to 20,000 refugee families from war-torn Syria and housing them all in modest houses – and, going by what I saw on the TV news – they have all home comforts including smart phones!

Why is the government going out of its way to help these people, giving them new homes and not requiring them to have or show any kind of ‘satisfactory’ ID or guarantor? Yet, the government are so oblivious and reluctant to help any British-born citizen who desperately needs help, especially the disabled people who are all still being bullied and losing all their welfare disability benefits.

What is going on here?

We really should make sure no one lives in poverty before we start to ‘hand out the hand of friendship’ to everyone else who does not have any legal right to be here in the UK.

It really is difficult to comprehend how the government would much rather ‘fly in’ thousands of Syrian refugee families, but ignore the plight of their home-grown citizens who are also in desperate need of help and housing.

The Tories really should get their priorities right.

It is only when there is no one in need of any help in the UK, that we can offer more help to those of a foreign land who may need it.

We simply don’t have the room, or the resources to cope with a mass influx of more migrants.

But, under this Tory government, housing more and more refugees doesn’t seem to be any kind of problem, there’s always room and there’s always more money available.

While the rest of us have to just ‘soldier’ on facing more austerity and misery!

I agree with Andrew Suter’s letter (WEP Letters December 19) that human overpopulation is a problem for the environment.

The more people there are, the more we consume – whether it’s energy or food.

And the more we consume, the more we destroy other species’ habitats and pollute the atmosphere.

Climate change is a big problem, but so too is overpopulation.

Jane

Lancashire

Mitchells a bad example

EastEnders is a popular soap, which has been running for many years.

It has been influential in changing social attitudes, it included the first male gay kiss in a soap opera, which helped to enlighten views towards gay people, with the result that gay people now have full equality under the law.

However, it continues to promote the view that to “grass” is the worst thing anybody can do.

The Mitchell family continue to commit vile crimes and are never brought to justice.

Surely, if you are a responsible citizen and are aware of a crime being committed, then you report it.

I may be old fashioned, but I am sure that is the right thing to do.

CB

Address supplied

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